There were 8,000 fewer farms than the previous year, and a decrease of 1 million acres in production overall (giving us 910 acres), yet the average size per farm increased by an acre. This pattern has been a continued trend and the number of farms are declining at a slightly higher rate than the acres being farmed are.
USDA broke out the results by sales volume, giving a closer look at where those trends are strongest. Unfortunately, what is produced on those farms, however, is not mentioned in this particular report.
The average farm size continued to increase in 2016 as the number of farms declined more than land in farms. Average farm size by sales class are:
| Sales class | Acres | Change |
| $1,000 – $9,999 | 84 acres | Decrease |
| $10,000 – $99,999 | 309 acres | Increase |
| $100,000 – $249,999 | 896 acres | Decrease |
| $250,000 – $499,999 | 1,296 acres | Increase |
| $500,000 – $999,999 | 1,897 acres | Increase |
| $1,000,000 or more | 2,656 acres | Decrease |
When looking at different farm income groups, the story can change, depending on the group of farms profiled. For example, farms that earn between $500,000 and $1 million saw a 0.6% decrease in the number of farms, even as acreage used for farming increased slightly. In contrast, the largest group of farms, those pulling in more than $1 million annually, saw acreage decrease faster than the number of farms declined.
source: growingproduce.com
